Variable-speed shaving implement



1811- 11, 1944- J. D. WII HOIT ETAL ,338,700

VARIABLE SPEED SERVING! IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 17, 1940 2 She'ets-Sheet 1 QMWM JOSEPH D.WILHO|T NAcr: E HUBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ame/whom JOSEPH D.WILHO|T NACE E HUBER l 94 J. D. wlLhbrr ETAL VARIABLE SPEED sw ms IMPLEMENT Filed Fob. 1+ 1940 WWW Patented Jan. 11, 1944 VARIABLE-SPEED SHAVING IIWPLEMENT Joseph D. Wilhoit, Chicago, Ill., and Nace F. Huber, Louisville, Ky.

Application February 17, 1940, Serial No. 319,524

7 Claims.

This invention relates to electric razors, and more particularly to those of the rotary type, and has for an object the provision of an improved razor of simplified design and improved cificiency; one that is adapted to modern production methods, and hence may be sold at a low price.

A further object is the provision of a new and improved stationary cutter head which is adapted to receive the hair at the peripheral edge as well as at the face of the head.

A further object is the provision of a shockproof, flexible drive remotely located with respect to the razor, thereby facilitating manipulation of the razor in use and decreasing user fatigue. r

A further object is the provision of a stationarl cutter head having a number of cooling and ventilating apertures in the lateral wall thereof.

A further object is the provision of an im-' proved change-speed mechanism adapted to be associated with the razor to form a single, easily operated unit.

A further object is the provision of control means for the change-speed mechanism adapted to be shifted to various speed positions without interruption to the shaving operation.

Further objects will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments of my invention which follows.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view partly in section taken on line |l of Fig. 2, and shows my improved razor head assembly and its connection with the change-speed mechanism;

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the underside of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the razor head;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the stationary cutter head;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the rotary cutter;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the spring catch for maintaining the razor head assembly and change-speed mechanism in the assembled relation of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal view partly in section of the speed-change mechanism for the razor head of Figs. 1-3;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of the speedchange mechanism taken at right angles to Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is an elevational view partly in section of a modified razor head assembly.

Referring now to Figs. 1-3, a generally cylindrical casing and handle member I which is made preferably of a molded plastic, but may be made of any suitable lightweightmetal alloy if desired, is provided with a bearing 2 in which is journaled the shaft 3 having a shouldered thrust member 4 pinned thereon to transmit the thrust from a spring 5 surrounding said shaft to a rotary cutter 6 provided with an enlarged hub slotted at opposite sides to receive a pin 1 fixed in said shaft for rotating the cutter 6 with the shaft 3. The rotary cutter G is made of hardened and ground steel, and is provided with a series of spaced wedge-shaped teeth 8 having cutting edges formed on their curved end surfaces as well as their planar radial surfaces.

The generally cylindrical stationary cutter head 9, which is made preferably of high carbon steel, is detachably mounted on the shouldered end 10 of the casing and handle member I through the provision of angular slots H formed in the lateral wall ll of the cutter head 9 and engaging with cooperating pins l3 fixed in the shouldered end I, as will be obvious from Figs. 1 and 2. The circular end wall of the stationary cutter head 9 is provided with narrow, radia slits H which extend also into the lateral wall l2 and form, as will be apparent from Fig. 3, a series of radial cutting edges l5 cooperating with the radial cutting edges of the rotary cutter 6 and a series of peripheral cutting edges l6 disposed at approximately right angles to the cutting edges l5 and cooperating with the end cutting edges of cutter 6. Thus it will be seen that there is no critical angle at which the shaver head must be presented to the face, since the shearing action of the cutter is effective whether the head is presented flatwise against the skin or inclined thereto.

The central area of the stationary cutter head 9 inwardly of the slits I4 is strengthened by increasing the thickness thereof, The close proximity of the end of shaft 3 serves to prevent excessive fiexure of the end wall in use. Ventilating openings II in the cutter head 9 convey the heat produced by the cutting elements away from-the engaging surfaces, and thus insure that an operating temperature comfortable to the user is not exceeded. Undue wear on the mechanism is also avoided. At It is indicated a passage for conveying a suitable lubricant to bearing 2.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, a speed-change mechanism particularly adapted for use with the shaver head previously described is illustrated.

In these figures an elongated two-part housing v |1-|1', which may be molded of plastic material or die-cast of any suitable lightweight alloy metal, is united by screws l9 passing through suitable holes in the member l1 and threaded into mating holes |9 formed in the member l1. The housing |1|1' is provided with bearings 20, 2| in which is journaled a shaft 22 for rotation and also for axial movement, a roller 23 loose on the shaft 22, but limited as to axial movement along the shaft by the stops 24, 24, facilitating such movement by the thumb of an operator, as will appear later. Spring 25, having its end portions in engagement with suitable end wall portions formed in the member l1 and being confined in the chamber so formed, has a central leg engageable selectively in the notches 21 of the shaft 22 to maintain shaft 22 in any selected position, as is apparent from Fig. '7. One end of shaft 22 is bored, as indicated at 28 to slidably receive in driving association the squared end 28' of the shaver head shaft 3 (Fig. 3). Suitable lubricating felt washer oilers 29 and 30 are provided in recesses in the housing l1, l1, while a threaded ferrule 30' serves to maintain the halves of bearing 20 in correct juxtaposition. The other end of shaft 22 has secured thereto a rubber-tired wheel 3|, which is shown in dotted lines (Fig. '1), as movable across the fiat faces of two oppositely disposed rotary discs 32, 32, mounted on spindles 33, 33, which are journaled in bearings 34, 34, inserted in the housing |1, H. The discs 32, 32, are made preferably of steel, but any other lightweight metal or plastic possessing the necessary rigidity is satisfactory. As will appear from Fig. 7, the central indentations of the opposed discs 32, 32 will serve to maintain the movable wheel 3| in a neutral position and to provide a definite demarcation between its forward and reverse positions.

A second rubber-tired wheel 35 similar to the wheel 3| is disposed oppositely to the latter and is mounted on a stub shaft 36 and fixed to a gear 31 to rotate on the stub shaft, which latter member is suitably journaled in the housing member H. A pinion 38 meshes with gear 31 and is fixed to a shaft 39 journaled in a bearing 40 received in the housing |1-|1. As shown in Fig. 7, the shaft 39 extends through a shouldered nipple 4| which is threaded into the housing |1|1 and is limited as to axial movement by the collar 42 fixed thereto at one end and the pinion 38 at the other end. The extremity of shaft 39 beyond collar 42 is flattened to be received between the inturned cars 43 of sleeve 44, the latter being secured at its other end to the inner element 45 of a flexible shaft or Bowden wire 46, which is threaded into operative association with the nipple 4| by means of the, outer sleeve 41 carried thereby. The other end of flexible shaft 46 will be connected preferably to the shaft of an electric motor (not shown).

Thus it will be seen that the assembled changespeed mechanism and razor head interflt to form a lightweight, efiicient shaving implement that is shockproof due to the rubber tires with which wheels 3| and 35 are provided and the insulating qualities of the molded plastic housing |1--|1' and casing and handle member An important feature of the invention resides in the control for the speed-change mechanism and its accessibility to the user through the opening of the casing without interrupting the shaving operation. Thus, when a change in contour of the face or in the characteristics of the beard on different areas of the face make desirable an increase in speed, for example, of the rotary cutter, the user may instantly secure the desired speed by moving the roller 23 axially with the thumb, the fingers and palm of the hand being sufllcient to guide the shave through any desired shaving manipulation.

The quick interchangeability of the casing and housing |1-|1' through the manual operation of spring catch 48 (Fig. 6) which is mounted on the casing and handle member I by a screw 49 (Fig. 1) results in adaptability of the speedchange mechanism to additional uses and facilitates repairs and replacements.

The direction of the rotary cutter 6 may be reversed when it is desired to utilize the opposite cutting'edges of the teeth 8. The reversal takes place, of course, when the whee1 3| moves from one side of the axis of rotation of discs 32, 32

to the other. It will be apparent that such reversal is secured much more economically with the inexpensive Universal motor contemplated than would be the case were a costly variable speed, reversible Universal motor necessary.

A further feature resides in the ease with which the rotary cutter may be resharpened when such action is necessary, it being a simple matter for the user to perform this operation on the planar face of the rotor by using a fiat hone.

Fig. 9 shows a modified form of shaver head adapted for use directly with a flexible drive shaft. In this form of our invention, the casing and handle member of Fig. 3 has been shortened, as indicated at in Fig. 9, and threaded at 5| to receive a shouldered nipple 4| which in turn receives the threaded end of the outer sleeve 41. The shaft 3' in this embodiment terminates in a flattened end portion 44' for locking engagement between the inturned ears 43 of sleeve 44. The circular grooves 52 formed in the outer wall of the member and the radial grooves 53 in the inclined wall of said member constitute grip means for the hand of the user; the portion of the handle I including the first-named grooves being held between the thumb and index finger of the operator while the radial' grooves are gripped by the finger tips.

The modified form of my invention depicted in Fig. 9 is intended for the particular use of barber shops and other commercial establishments where variable speed flexible drives are already available for us on hair clippers, etc.,

and where a number of low-cost, highly efllcient shaver heads must be provided.

It will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 3 that the shaver head of this invention is particularly advantageous for the cutting of a beard of greater than usual length, since by holding th slitted edge of the stationary cutter against the face and moving the shaver parallel to these slits and to itself, the hair will be drawn across the hypotenuse of the triangle of which the side edge and end edge of the slits and rotor teeth are legs. Such hair will be cut on one such movement of the shaver and such shearing action will not be accompanied by pulling of the hair, such as is experienced with other type shaving heads that must be drawn back and forth across the face several times to produce a clearly clipped result.

The modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 9 is also of particular utility for feminine use in removing hair from under the arms dueto its cutter head for shearing long hair without pulling, its ease of control, and it reduced overall dimensions.

Having now described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, which are intended to be merely illustrative and not restrictive, we hereby set forth the novel features of our invention in the following claims.

1. A shockproof speed-change mechanism comprising an elongated two-part housing of insulating material having a generally cylindrical portion, an axially shiftable shaft journaled in said cylindrical portion, a wheel having a tire of insulating material and mounted on the inner end of said shaft, a second shaft journaled in an oppositely disposed portion of said housing in parallel, offset relation with respect to said first-mentioned shaft and carrying a pinion at the end thereof, a stub shaft journaled in said casing axial to said first shaft and parallel to said second shaft, a wheel having tire of insulating material and rotatably mounted on said stub shaft and having a gear fixed thereto meshing with the pinion on said second shaft, and oppositely disposed rotary discs journaled in said housing at opposite sides of said first shaft and said stub shaft and having their surfaces in contact with the resilient tires of said wheels for connecting said first shaft and said stub shaft in driving relationship.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the first-mentioned resilient-tired wheel is movable across the faces of said discs through axial movement of said first-mentioned shaft to vary the speed of rotation of said shaft, a roller on said shaft for facilitating such axial movement, and resilient stop means within the housing for maintaining the shaft against axial movement.

3. A shockproof shaving implement comprising a generally cylindrical casing handle member having a central aperture at on side thereof and a peripherally slitted, detachably mounted shaving head at one end thereof, a rotary cutter mounted for rotation in said shaving head'in cooperating relationship with said peripheral slits, a shaft journaled in said casing for imparting rotation to said cutter, a speed-chang mechanism having an elongated housing extending into the casing handle member and. held in assembled relationship therewith through the close contact of the wall of said aperture and the'engagement of a spring clip carried by said casing, a variable on the other end of said driv shaft, a second shaft journaled in an oppositely disposed portion of said housing, in parallel, offset relation with respect to said drive shaft and carrying a pinion at one end thereof, a stub shaft iournaled in said casing in the same plane with said drive shaft and parallel to said second shaft, a resil-'- ient-tired wheel rotatably mounted on said stub shaft and having a ear fixed thereto meshing with the pinion of said second shaft, and oppositely disposed rotary discs journaled in said housing at opposite sides of said drive shaft and said stub shaft and having their surface in contact with the resilient tires of said wheels for connecting said drive shaft and said stub shaft in driving relationship.

5. A lightweight, easily manipulable rotary type razor adapted to be powered by a standard flexible drive shaft and comprising a stepped, cylindrical casing having a shouldered portion at one end and a continuous, inclined wall portion at the other end and also another such Wall portion intermediate the ends of said casing,-said wall portions being provided with generally radial grooves and the cylindrical casing intermediate said wall portions being provided with circular grooves, th aforesaid grooves constituting a handgrip for an operator, a stationary, cylindrical cutter head provided with a continuous series of radially extending slits in the peripheral edge of its base and extending into the lateral wall of said cylinder, said stationary cutter head being detachably mounted in said shouldered portion and cooperating with a rotary shaft journaled in said casing, and a toothed cutter mounted on said shaft within the cutter head, the teeth of said cutter being provided with cutting edges at their lateral surfaces and also at their end surfaces for'effecting two shearing actions with said slits at approximately right angles to each other. I

6. The combination of claim 1, in which the rotary discs have central indentations engageable by the wheel on said shiftable shaft.

7. A shaving implement comprising a handle member; a variable speed transmission housing;

means for securing the handle member to the' ly shiftable drive shaft in such position as to be accessible through the aperture of the handle member when that member is secured to the transmission housing, whereby to provide convenient means for varying the speed of rotation of the cutter during the shaving operation.

JOSEPH D. WILHOIT. NACE F. HUBER. 

